Meet first homebuyers to complete under Help to Buy scheme

A young couple relocating from Northern Ireland to a new Taylor Wimpey home near Liverpool have become the first new homebuyers to complete under the Help to Buy scheme, an initiative launched by the Government on 1^stApril.

Catherine McClean (26), a nurse, and Nikolai Ivanovic (25), a former Queens Guard, have taken their first step on the property ladder by using Help to Buy to purchase a three bedroom semi-detached home at Taylor Wimpey's Speakman Gardens development in Prescot.

Commenting on the success of the scheme, Housing Minister, Mark Prisk said: 

"I'm delighted that, just five weeks after the launch of Help to Buy in the Budget, the scheme's first buyers are moving into their new property. I'd like to congratulate first time buyers Nikolai and Catherine as they move in today, and wish them all the best for the future in their new Taylor Wimpey home."

Pete Redfern, chief executive of Taylor Wimpey, said:
“The measures announced by the Chancellor will help home builders get Britain building and add a welcome vibrancy to both the new and second hand market over the next three years. The country is desperately in need of more homes and we welcome the Government’s focus on addressing this.”

New home-owner Catherine McClean said of the scheme:
“Help to Buy has been a massive help to us. We certainly wouldn’t be in the position we are now without it. It has enabled us to own our own property. I am the first person in my family to own my own home and I am immensely proud. We have been so lucky to have been given a helping hand to allow us to achieve this.”